Gut hormones signal to the central nervous system to influence energy homeostasis.
Evidence supports the existence of a system in the gut that senses the presence of food in
the gastrointestinal tract and signals to the brain via neural and endocrine mechanisms to
regulate short-term appetite and satiety. Recent evidence has shown that specific gut
hormones administered at physiological or pathophysiological concentrations can influence
appetite in rodents and humans. Gut hormones therefore have an important physiological�…

Food intake, energy expenditure and body adiposity are homeostatically regulated. Central
and peripheral signals communicate information about the current state of energy balance to
key brain regions, including the hypothalamus and brainstem. Hunger and satiety represent
coordinated responses to these signals, which include neural and hormonal messages from
the gut. In recent years our understanding of how neural and hormonal brain–gut signalling
regulates energy homeostasis has advanced considerably. Gut hormones have various�…